Do-it-yourself: 7 instructions on how to do a facial massage
Text:Adel Miftakhova
Facial massage came to us from asia and it has been considered an effective anti-aging procedure for more than a decade. It was used in ancient Chinese medicine, not only for rejuvenation, but also for solving a variety of health problems. Scientific studies of the benefits of facial massage are mostly related not to its anti-aging effect, but to the healing effect — for example, it plays an important role in eliminating facial paralysis. Nevertheless, cosmetologists and aesthetic dermatologists recommend doing a face massage in order to relax the muscles, increase blood circulation and normalize the outflow of fluids in the body. And this, in turn, helps to prevent wrinkles, preserve facial contours and remove edema. Japanese scientists also found out that facial massage helps relieve tension, improve mood and cope with anxiety.
The face massage, despite its benefits, has a number of contraindications. First of all, facial massage is not recommended for people with sensitive skin, so as not to provoke irritation and redness. You should also not do a massage if there are active acne on the face, because they can be accidentally opened during the process, and the consequences can be most unpleasant - from scars to infection.
When it comes to facial massage, massage lines almost immediately come to mind. In theory, these are vectors in which you need to apply makeup and massage the face so as not to stretch the skin in the wrong directions and not to provoke premature aging. However, there is practically no scientific research or at least professional opinions about the benefits or harm of such an approach. Therefore, we advise you not to rely on pictures with lines, but carefully study the structure and location of the facial muscles and how they are connected with certain areas of the skin, using medical atlases. This will help you understand how the muscles during a massage need to pay particular attention in your particular case.
The effect of periodic massage is dubious, and not everybody can afford regular procedures in the salon.
Face massage can be done not only with hands, but also with the help of special devices. Such, for example, is at The Body Shop, Sarah Chapman or La Mer. Whether the massage becomes more effective with such tools is a separate question, but some of them can at least make the process more pleasant and easy.
Of course, the right face massage is the easiest way to go to a specialist. But not everyone can afford the regular procedures, but according to research, the effect of periodic massage is dubious. Therefore, we suggest trying to do it yourself, focusing on the video instructions we chose, among which you can find a variety of techniques.
Alexandra Soveral - cosmetologist and founder of his own line of aromatherapy cosmetics Soveral. Alexandra advises using quite a bit of massage oil and massaging not only the face, but also the neck. Her technique helps to prevent wrinkles, loss of elasticity and to remove swelling, including around the eyes. In the course of the video, she explains in detail why she makes certain movements and at what point she should stop. And this frees the viewer from unnecessary and meaningless movements. This is especially important because even with a facial massage you can overdo it.
Lisa Eldridge, no doubt a great woman and a great make-up artist. In addition to extremely useful make-up videos, she sometimes shares her secrets of care, of which facial massage is an important part. At the beginning of the video, she talks about the different balms that can be used for massage, and its benefits. In her massage technique, Lisa uses light and rather intensive movements to smooth the skin and lymphatic drainage. In the end, she talks about the cooling massager for the area around the eyes Eyecicle, the cost of which we are afraid to even call. But such a device is not necessary, of course.
Makeup artist Jing Say Mul She worked with a huge number of Korean celebrities and even launched her own cosmetics line. But besides makeup tutorials, she often uploads a video about skin care and face preparation for make-up. This video is not entirely about facial massage, it is rather about how to apply cosmetics to certain parts of the face and neck. Each product is applied with different, but always light, massaging and indented movements. This video can be a great start for the most lazy of us: in applying cosmetics, it is also important to follow the correct technique, and with the help of daily three-minute pats, you can also prepare yourself for more complex types of massage.
Yukuko Tanaka It is considered perhaps the main adherent of anti-aging facial massage in Japan, and the video with its massage technique gained 4.5 million views. She developed a series of techniques for both general rejuvenation of the face, and for its individual parts. These techniques suggest intense pressure on the muscles of the face and promise that in two weeks of regular procedures, the skin will noticeably change. And if you start doing it from a young age, Tanaka writes, then wrinkles will not appear at all. It is necessary to do massage daily, slowly and consistently, but in the period of illness it is better to refuse it.
Blogger wendy guang - Australian of Chinese origin and for his thirty years does not look at all. For this, the genes are very likely to be responsible, and Wendy herself jokes about the famous picture of aging Asian women. Nevertheless, she actively looks after herself and considers massage an important part of daily care. Most of the video is devoted to the story of the history and useful properties of massage. Its technique is based on the awesome ancient Chinese massage Gua Sha, in which the skin is scratched with special tools, but Wendy uses a quartz device that does not damage the skin. She also reasonably warns that massage will not replace the rest of the care and a healthy diet.
Annie Jeffrey - a blogger from Switzerland, a specialist in business and marketing in the field of fashion. From her video about massage, you can also learn useful techniques. For example, at first she makes very light relaxing movements, and then moves on to more intense ones. She tells in detail what makes certain movements: for relaxing muscles, for lymphatic drainage, for getting rid of puffiness under the eyes. In the end, she applies a warm towel to her face for a while to remove the remaining oil and clean the pores.
On her channel there is a video about the massage of the scalp, which may not affect the health of the hair, but it will certainly relax quite well.
Lisa Gusto - a nutritionist, and she specializes mainly in healthy food recipes, but a little space in her blog is reserved for cosmetics and care. In the care she adheres to the use of natural cosmetics and regularly does a facial massage. Lisa offers a usual set of intensive and light movements for massage to smooth the skin and relieve swelling. Her technique is remarkable in that she pays attention, including the muscles of the back of the neck. She advises doing such a massage before bedtime, because it is very relaxing. In the final, she washes away the remaining oil, sprays her face with a moisturizing spray and uses an anti-aging cream. She applies it with the same massaging and pressing movements.
Photo: Glossier / Facebook